Top Ten Tuesday: Favourites of 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

It's the time of year to go through all of the books we read this year (thank goodness for Goodreads) and decide which ones we loved the most. It's hard to determine which ones were better than others. Sometimes they really were better all around - great writing, amazing story, excellent characters - but sometimes it was just the perfect read for that moment in time. You'll get to hear more about my favourites later once I get my End of Year Survey done (damn lack of internet) but for now here are ten...ahem, eleven...of the best books I read this year. Links lead to my review. What were some of your favourites from 2013?

Blogger Girl - Meredith Schorr
I love Meredith and I freaking adored her latest book. It was chick lit at its finest and it even included a blogger heroine to boot!

Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
If twisty and weird historical novels are your thing, this book is for you. So good.

Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan
As I said in my review, I was addicted to this novel. It had everything you could want in a story but it all worked well together.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
Just all around amazing.

Divergent/Insurgent/Allegiant - Veronica Roth
I read the entire series this year and really liked it. Even the ending.

Just One Day/Just One Year - Gayle Forman
Read these books. Clear your weekend, stock up on tea and snacks, and snuggle under a warm blanket. You can thank me later.

Sweet Thing - Renee Carlino
This was one of the first New Adult books I read and I really loved it.

Anna and the French Kiss/Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins
A lot of people had told me that I'd probably like this series since I'm a huge Sarah Dessen fan. Those people were correct. I loved the characters Perkins created! I cannot wait for Isla and the Happily Ever After.

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
This was another book that took me awhile to read but, boy, am I glad I did. Such an imaginative world.

The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)
This book deserves all the sales it got once it was revealed Rowling was the author. It's a solid mystery filled with the descriptive language that Rowling is so good at.

The Bone Cage - Angie Abdou
This was, hands down, my favourite CanLit book of the year. I'm so glad I had to read it for my Project Bookmark Canada internship. It's a great story about two athletes working towards the Sydney Olympics.

Event Recap: Rainbow Rowell Signing

Just over a week ago I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Long review short: I adored it (you can read my full review here). I immediately texted my friend Natalie, of Browsing Bookshelves, to tell her I had finished it as she had read it the week before. Once we shared our mutual love for the book, she let me know she was planning on heading to the signing in Toronto the following Monday and asked if would I like to go with her. I immediately said yes! We had both read the book from the library but loved it so much that we each bought a copy of it to bring to the signing.

I was already excited for the signing, who wouldn't be? I knew we were lucky because this was the only Canadian stop Rainbow was making. To make things even more exciting, fellow blogger Nicole, of Nicole About Town, invited us to meet up with her and the Raincoast publicist who was in Toronto to escort Rainbow. Fun! Crystal was fabulous and told us all about some new and upcoming YA books. I marked quite a few of them to look into later!

Because of our need to eat some supper and stop at David's Tea (Natalie and I don't have one where we live so we had to go hehe), we ended up being too late to get chairs. Drat! We were still pretty early though so we snuck in between the chairs and the shelves and sat ourselves down to wait.

Rainbow reading from Fangirl

After Rainbow was introduced, she told us a little bit about her book (which I think everyone there had read, judging from the applause and cheers) and then proceeded to do a reading. I loved that she explained things along the way. For example, her husband says that Fangirl is eyebrow erotica as Levi's eyebrows are often mentioned! After the reading she answered several questions and it was so interesting to learn about her books and her process. I wish I could expand more but I'm writing this almost a week later (I intended to get it done right away...sigh) and I can't recall specifics. Sorry! Basically, Rainbow is a fabulous author and person. She writes real characters and relateable scenarios that you can't help but love.

Ahhh, I can't believe I got to meet her. I smile every time I see this picture! I bought a copy of Attachments at the store because I've been meaning to read it for ages (it's her adult novel...why haven't I read it yet? Silliness!). I can't wait to dive into it! Rainbow was pretty impressed when she found out Natalie and I had travelled so far to see her (hence the inscription in Fangirl, below). I say it was totally worth it!

Whee!!!

Have you read any of Rainbow Rowell's books? What did you think of them?

Review: Fangirl

I knew I was going to like Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell because so many others had gushed over it (including my friend and fellow blogger Natalie at Browsing Bookshelves) and I adored Eleanor & Park . Guys. I adored Fangirl. I picked it up from the library, went home, and didn't put it down until I finished it. So. Freaking. Good. So good, in fact, that Natalie and I will be venturing to Toronto on Monday to see Rowell AND we'll both be buying a copy even though we've both already read it. That's a good book, my friends.

Here's the synopsis:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .
But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

I totally identified with Cath. I think any introvert can, really. Like Cath, I found university to be a terrifying concept. Luckily for me, my "twin" (aka my best friend, Sandy) didn't ditch me and we did room together. Potentially embarrassing fact: I also totally and completely understood Cath's aversion to the dining hall. I did know where mine was but I was so unsure of what to do that I usually just ate at one of the fast food places or made something in our kitchen. Thinking back, it seems really silly but for someone who hates change as much as Cath (and, ok, me), college and all the newness it brings, is scary. Rowell really allowed that to come out through her writing in a believable way.

And Reagan, Cath's roommate? Oh my goodness, I loved that girl. She was hilarious! I think she was the perfect person to confront Cath about her fear of, well, everything new and to bring her out of her shell. I think what really made it work was not only her abrasive personality (deep down she really does care) but also that she was a couple of years older. Personality-wise, I pictured her as Janis from Mean Girls. I love the scenes in the dining hall where they mock...er...observe other students. In one scene, the girls are talking about a girl who wears a wolf tail. Cath remarks that she kind of likes the tail and Reagan's response had me laughing out loud (I'll clean it up a bit for you!):

"If God put me into your life to keep you from wearing a f*cking tail, I accept the assignment." (page 47)

I thought the story was a great one. I can't remember reading something like this before, something that features such real characters and scenarios. Many serious issues are touched on but they're not overblown nor are they angsty like so many other YA novels. There are various mental and emotional issues as well as the "normal" craziness that comes from being in your first real relationship and going away to school. It's a tough world out there but Rowell shows you, through her characters and this story, that you can get through anything if you have the right people (friends, family, and professionals) around you.

I also really liked the "fangirl" aspect of the book. Fanfiction and fandoms are not only becoming more common but also, I think, more acceptable, more mainstream. I really liked that there were excerpts from the "real" Simon Snow novels as well as from Cath's fanfiction. It helped bring her story to life even more, I think. In fact, I actually wish it was a real story! It seemed like it'd be a really cool mix of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

Fangirl is an amazing novel. I loved reading it. I loved that I was halfway through the book and so much had happened but I knew I still had so much more to read. I was invested in the characters and their lives and while I wanted to see how things worked out for them, I didn't want it to end. That, in my opinion, is a sign of a great read. If you like YA, read this. If you like fanfiction/fandoms, read this. If you just like a really great story, read this. I cannot wait to read Rainbow Rowell's next novel, Landline (info found here on her site) - another adult book!

Happy reading :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Pumpkin Spiced...Reading?

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

Ah, fall. It's not quite fall yet but the weather's turning colder, the trees are starting to think about changing colour, the stores have lovely sweaterish outfits for sale, and everyone is losing their mind about pumpkin spiced everything (hence the post's title). For a booklover, fall means tons of new releases, comfortably snuggling under blankets, and drinking copious amounts of tea. In this week's Top Ten Tuesday (Top Twelve for me...couldn't narrow it down!) we're tackling that first point: new releases. What follows is my fall to be read list - and they're all new books! To keep things simple, I've ordered them by release date. What new releases are you looking forward to reading?

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating this week!

Well-Read Women: Portraits of Fiction's Most Beloved Heroines - Samantha Hahn (August 27)
This isn't really a fall release but it's going on my Christmas list. I figure if I bookend the season, it can be considered fall! The pictures are gorgeous and it's such a fun idea.

Jessica Darling's It List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection - Megan McCafferty (September 3)
I adore Jessica Darling so I can't wait to see what middle grade Jessica and friends are like!

The Orenda - Joseph Boyden (September 10)
Confession: I haven't read any of Boyden's work. I'm a bad Canadian reader. But, for some reason, The Orenda has intrigued me. I'm also planning on looking into his past books too, since they're so popular. And, hey, maybe this one will be a Giller Prize winner!

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell (September 10)
I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS BOOK! I'm third on the list at my library and I'm just hoping they order more than one copy and it comes in soon!

The Bride Wore Size 12 - Meg Cabot (September 24)
I actually haven't read the rest of this series but I want to and that's why I included this one! I adore Meg Cabot.

Zoey and the Moment of Zen - Cat Lavoie (October)
Cat's debut novel, Breaking the Rules, was my favourite book of 2012 so I can't wait to see what her next book is like!

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants - Malcolm Gladwell (October 1)
Between the boyfriend and I, we own all of Gladwell's books. I haven't read them but I want to and this new one sounds really interesting.

Longbourn- Jo Baker (October 8)
This is probably my most anticipated novel of the year. I've been hearing about this one since I was doing my internship at Random House of Canada earlier this year. It's a big title (clearly, since they've been talking about it since Januaryish) and I NEED IT IN MY LIFE. Immediately.

SECRET Shared - L. Marie Adeline (October 15)
I really liked S.E.C.R.E.T. and since it ended on one hell of a cliffhanger, I'm excited to read the next book in the series.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy - Helen Fielding (October 15)
Bridget Jones. Enough said.

Allegiant- Veronica Roth (October 22)
I only just recently read Divergent (and I'm picking up Insurgent from the library today!) but I'm so so excited about the final book in the series.

Takedown Twenty - Janet Evanovich (November 19)
While the Stephanie Plum books aren't quite as exciting as they once were (nothing is happening and I feel like they're really repetitive) but I still read each new one. One of these days she'll have to choose between Ranger and Morelli! Also, I just read the synopsis and apparently there is a giraffe named Kevin that is running wild in the streets. Amazing.